Page 90 of Fiercely Protective

“Now that Petros is no more, should we go visit your friend Sevan and give him the good news?” Alessio asked as he stepped over Petros’ lifeless body.

Blaze lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. “I’ll give him a call.”

“No, don’t call. It is better if he doesn’t know we are coming. We don’t want to give Sevan any advantages.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Rogue

Blaze discovered that Sevan was no longer in Chicago but had returned to his home outside Albany, New York. Distancing himself from Petros’ downfall no doubt. If he thought that leaving Chicago would save him, he was mistaken. Alessio made a call, his private jet was refueled, and we landed in Albany just before dawn. A car was waiting for us at the airfield to drive us to Sevan’s home outside the city.

It was easy to gain admittance into the house. The lack of security or any alarms was surprising but not as much as the look of shock on Sevan’s face when I walked into his kitchen. He was wearing a robe and eating scrambled eggs looking very pleased with himself…until he saw me.

“Mr. Delaney, I did not…I was not expecting a visit from you.”

I walked over to the coffee pot, grabbed a mug from the stand beside it, and poured myself a cup. It had been a long night, and the caffeine might help improve my mood.

“I’m sure you didn’t, but I wanted to deliver this news personally. Petros and all the men that were with him are dead.”

He dropped his head in mock sorrow. “It is a shame that the young man could not be controlled. So young and foolish. If only his father had lived longer.”

He spoke his lies with such confidence.

“Yes, it is. Young and foolish is never a good combination.”

He nodded in agreement. The fake sympathy on his face was nauseating.

“I’m curious though, who will take his place? With no one at the helm, how will the organization move forward?”

I couldn’t suppress the grin on my face when he nervously took a sip of his coffee. His hand was shaking slightly.

“I’m sure the family will come to a wise decision when appointing a new leader. Someone with more experience.”

“Perhaps, but I am curious as to if you will be considered for the position.”

Sevan’s eyes widened as Blaze came into the room, blood still staining his clothes.

“I am not certain. Although, I would consider it an honor.”

I took another sip of the coffee and shifted my gaze to Blaze.

“Hmm, well the new leader should be careful who he trusts. The puppet master pulling his strings might set out to see him killed…just as you did Petros.”

His eyes flashed with the realization that we knew of his schemes.

I stepped closer. “Was your plan to simply have Blaze and I do your dirty work and kill Petros so that you could step in as the one meant to save the family? Petros’ father was your friend. Did you swear to him on his deathbed that you would guide his son? You guided him right into his grave. Do you wish to knowhow he died or is that too much for you? Literal blood on your hands is not as bad as the blood on your conscious.”

His face reddened. “I did everyone a favor. It was always understood that I would take power after Hayak’s death, but he could never keep his dick in his pants. I was not worried. He had been with countless women through the years and never produced a child. I thought he was sterile, but the young waitress he fell in love with changed everything. When she became pregnant, Hayak was determined that the young Petros be his heir, even after it became obvious that he did not have the brains nor the will to be a leader.”

“Getting rid of Petros wasn’t any of my business, Sevan. You made your mistake by lying to me. You were the one behind the threats. You were the one whispering in Petros’ ear that he should take on Nickolai and the Volkoff Bratva as well as my organization. You endangered everyone around me with your scheming, including my wife, and that is something I will not forgive.”

“I can give you whatever you want, Delaney. We can be partners. Together we can increase our holdings and power. I will give you a large percentage of the profits.”

I shook my head. “I don’t need you to do any of those things, Sevan, because I am going to take it all. Did you think that my services would be free?”

Sevan knew he was beaten. I could see it on his face. His eyes were downcast as he nervously moved around the table. Blaze and I both knew what he was about to do and were ready when he lunged for the gun he had hidden in a drawer. By the time he had turned to point it at me, I already had mine leveled at his forehead.

The pistol he was holding clattered to the ground as my shot went through his brain.

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